Archive - Aug 2012 - Article (News Story)

Allegations of Development Bank of American Samoa allowing recipients of the 1602 program to profit through a 3-layered scheme and that DBAS staff pressured recipients to use specific contractors and vendors are among the sixteen (16) peculiarities that need further review, according to the ‘revised on July 11, 2012’ draft report on the Section 1602 program, the same report cited in Thursday’s story.

It further notes that the most costly units of the project funded by Section 1602 funds was over $700,000 for only 4 units.

More than 40 candidates for the local House race have filed their paperwork as of yesterday afternoon with the Election Office, and the EO says that so far only five gubernatorial teams have filed petitions for the post of governor and lieutenant governor.

There are still more petitions and papers picked up that have yet to be turned in and Chief Election Officer Soliai Tuipine Fuimaono reminds those individuals seeking public office this year that they must file by 4:30p.m. Sept. 1 (which is tomorrow), in accordance with local statue.

ASG Tax Office Manager Melvin Joseph is projecting a surplus in tax revenue collections in the current fiscal year 2012, which ends next month, September 30. However, he has concerns that the tax revenue projections for the new fiscal year may be on the high side.

Joseph was called yesterday before the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, whose chairman Sen. Lemanu Peleti Mauga, told the ASG official that the governor’s letter to the Fono calls for an increase in tax collections revenue that will help fund the FY 2013 budget proposal.

To properly track and better monitor fuel usage of the government’s fleet of vehicles, the Territorial Audit Office late last year recommended to top political leaders in the government to look at implementing “smart cards,” similar to those used by the federal government.

TAO made the same recommendation in its report released last week, following a limited scope performance audit of the internal controls at the ASG fuel station, overseen by the Department of Public Works.

MAN WHO PLED GUILTY PLEA TO INDECENT EXPOSURE ON PROBATION

A man who was charged with indecent exposure on allegations that he performed sexual acts upon himself while watching his sister has been ordered by the court to stay away from his sister. The defendant who was charged with indecent exposure entered into a plea agreement with the government yesterday in the District Court.

Construction work will soon get underway for a new building inside the government owned Tank Farm in Utulei to house the Office of Petroleum Management (OPM), American Samoa Petroleum Cooperative (ASPC) and tank farm operator Pacific Energy.

Petroleum Officer, Sione Kava with OPM confirmed that the contract for this project, estimated to cost just over $1 million, was awarded recently to Paramount Builders.

The Attorney General’s office has responded to a lawsuit challenging the legality of Governor Togiola Tulafono’s 2007 Executive Order banning the importation of certain vehicles into the territory.

The response was filed by Assistant Attorney General Michael Iosua after plaintiff Live Saunoa filed his complaint through attorney Fiti Sunia claiming declaratory judgment and wrongful seizure.

Whenever I go over or at the very least try to avoid potholes on our roads — my vehicle rattling, tires and suspension thunking — I think … damn government, all that money for infrastructure... and this is all we get: POTHOLES. Where did the money go?

In a press release, dated August 30, 2012, the American Samoa Economic Stimulus & Recovery Office (ASESRO) — Pat M. Galea’i, Executive Director expressed his disappointment with Samoa News “lack of responsibility shown in reporting as fact items for which we have no supporting evidence.”

Samoa News received a call from the vice president of the Development Bank of American Samoa (DBAS) yesterday to correct his name in our story on the “ASESRO Draft Report cites serious problems with local ‘1602’ project”. In our story, we mistakenly identified the DBAS VP as “James M. Betham, Jr.” — it is “Jason M. Betham, Sr.” — not his brother James.

We apologize to Mr. Jason Betham and our readers for our inadvertent error.